Protecting against pests

Published 12:20 pm, Thursday, August 7, 2014

Late-season corn about to âÄútassel-up.âÄù Raccoons seem to know the very minute the corn is at its peak maturity and will often make a late-night raid into the corn patch.

Late-season corn about to âÄútassel-up.âÄù Raccoons seem to know the very minute the corn is at its peak maturity and will often make a late-night raid into the corn patch.

Photo: Contributed Photo

Protecting against pests

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As much as we enjoy the fruits of our labor, so do various animal garden pests that have been attacking gardens these days with abandon. Deer, rabbits, woodchucks, raccoons, gophers, skunks, squirrels, birds, voles, mice and even a reported muskrat venturing out of the Housatonic River to feast upon a shoreline garden in Stratford are shredding gardens to pieces.

There is not a lot of good news in terms of 100 percent effective pest controls.

Let's face it, we home gardeners have never had as many problems as we do today with animal wildlife attacking our gardens. We can attribute this to our ever-expanding development of acreage that has remained woodland and docile for years. Over many, many years we have slowly, but steadfastly, encroached upon the space of every living animal forcing them and squeezing them into smaller and smaller pieces of land. Often, there's no room left for them to go, and that's the likely cause for the distinct change in the behavior of our wildlife, and how they've adapted to us.

Animals have become so accustomed to us, our habits and our presence that they've not only become less fearful of us, but downright brazen. It seems incredible that at times I have walked up to a deer and touched it while it fed.

So what to do? Here are some of the most common methods of controlling garden pests and their effectiveness:

Sound tactics: It's true that some people have experienced very good animal control by leaving the radio on in the backyard. Problem is, I'm not so sure your neighbors will appreciate that, and it might drive you crazy as well. Less obtrusive are high-pitched warning devices that emit a continuous or "motion-detected" piercing sound. Do they work? Yes, to some extent, but more often than not, they're not reliable for long-term eviction of garden pests. There is evidence that the sound generated by these ultrasonic units does match certain animals "critical hearing frequencies" and that they become so disturbed and feel so threatened that they will be forced to leave the area. The problem is that when rodents have just built a nest, have newborn young, have access to an excellent food and water or if the weather has turned very wet, very hot or very cold, it can take time, patience and ongoing commitment to get them out.

Scare tactics: Scarecrows, windmills, plastic owls, plastic snakes and balloon "bird-eyes" I group together as necessary garden repellent accessories, and everyone should have at least two or three of them in action at all times. A scarecrow is kind of an old-fashioned garden aid that is actually more decorative than effective. Small windmills generate sound and movement, which can scare animals out of the garden, but then you need wind to get them to work. Plastic owls, snakes and inflatable "bird-eyes" become old-hat fairly quickly. I guess the best evidence of this was the large black crow perched on the head of my plastic owl. The problem with these types of controls is that animals learn that the snake isn't moving and that the owl isn't about to swoop down and take them away. You can improve the effectiveness of these devices if you move them around in various places of the garden.

Motion floodlights and water-jet sprays: Deer will flee from the sudden glare of a floodlight or the jet spray of a water sprinkler, but these devices can be difficult, if not costly. You also need to set up a number of motion water jets and floodlights to sufficiently cover and protect the garden, which is sometimes neither practical nor advisable to do.

Predator urine: If Deer get a whiff of a predator -- courtesy of cougar, coyote, bobcat, bear or wolf urine -- they'll probably avoid the area. Place the foam darts that come with the bottled urine 10 to 12 feet apart and spritz the liquid on the absorbent foam. You'll have to freshen the scent regularly, especially after a rain.

Strong aromas : I think I've heard of just about every possible concoction for keeping animal pests out of the garden, but the most popular and most effective seem to be strips of fabric softener or cheesecloth bags of mothballs around the yard. Soap bars, hung around shrubs and woody plants work, but only within a three-foot radius, making it somewhat inconvenient to use as a repellent. There are capsules of ultra-potent garlic oil that can be clipped wherever needed. These capsules last six to eight months making it one of the longest lasting aroma products. I've experimented with strong "fish" fertilizers as a deterrent against woodchucks, rabbits and deer, and it works quite well. The oil in the emulsion has a lingering effect, so it tends to be effective even after it rains, but like most of these products repeat applications throughout the season is required to maximize their effectiveness. There are also many long-time commercially available repellents, such as Deer Away, Ropel, Bobbex, Tree Guard and Hinder, which have varying degrees of success.

Animal traps: Many times they work, but there's just one tiny problem after you catch the animal -- it is illegal to kill animals or to transport them to another piece of property. And often these traps end up catching the animal you don't expect (or want) to catch. Anyway, that woodchuck that's been terrorizing your garden probably won't be enticed to enter the cage no matter how well-baited it is.

Lightweight plastic netting: Bird netting can be draped over plants, and it works pretty well keeping deer off hostas and other plants. Be sure to leave enough slack to allow summer growth of the plants.

The solution you didn't want to hear: Sooner or later you'll become frustrated enough to put up a fence. Not just any fence, but one that is buried into the ground two-feet deep and is seven feet high. Yes, it is a monstrosity to put up and pay for (and it may not comply with local zoning laws, so check first), but once you've done it, you'll never again suffer through the aggravation, disappointment and shock of waking up to a season's worth of hard work and expense gobbled up overnight.